The Pickle is in the Jar
by loveu5missu6
Summary: Peeta proposes. "Madge!" he called. "The pickle is in the jar!"


The sun peaked through the white curtains of the house. It woke Peeta up immediately. He pulled on a pair of pants, as he was only in a pair of white boxers. He didn't bother with a shirt, just pulling over a black sweatshirt. He grabbed a pair of black socks and then pulled on a pair of boots. He locked the door behind him and quickly made his way from his house to the house across from his.

He unlocked the door with the key that sat under the mat. He unlocked the door and waltzed into the house. He didn't quite understand Katniss's reasoning on why she wouldn't move into Peeta's house or let Peeta move into hers.

They had a daughter together.

Maybe it was out of pure fear that breakdown Peeta would return. He was scared too, but he missed being beside her every morning.

He jogged up the stairs and raced into the nursery.

Their daughter, Maysilee was two months old. She had Peeta's bright blue eyes and a small sign of his blond hair. Her facial features were purely her mother's. She was perfect. Ten toes, ten fingers.

She wasn't awake. He gazed down at the creation.

Katniss, whenever pregnant, _had_ let Peeta live with her. She'd also acquired him everywhere he went, including work at his bakery, unless she went to Haymitch's house instead. The first time she noticed a bump, she broke down and cried for a half hour. The first time Maysilee moved inside her, she took Peeta away from his work. The first time Maysilee kicked her, she wouldn't get out of bed, and she wouldn't let Peeta get out either. And whenever she felt the first contraction she cried for three hours.

And then she delivered Maysilee on their bed. Peeta swiftly caught his daughter and cut the umbilical cord. He washed all the sheets that were bloodstained and then helped Katniss latch the newborn onto her, so that she could feed. And then she said that she would see Peeta tomorrow and literally showed him to the door, juggling the newborn in her arms.

Peeta smiled softly down at his daughter. He whispered, "Hi May. Daddy's here. Today, I've got a surprise for your mommy."

Maysilee fussed in her bed a little and moved her tiny fists up and down. Then her eyes opened.

Peeta quickly picked up the baby and positioned her in his arms, so that she was lying on his shoulder.

He bounced little Maysilee around and then sat down in the rocking chair. He looked around. He'd decorated the nursery.

It was pure pink. The doctor had said early on that there was _no_ way that the baby could be a boy. There were little white flowers splattered around the room. The crib was white with pink bedding. Maysilee's dressers were white with pink knobs. There were two rocking chairs. A pink one and a white one. Her outing bag was on the pink changing table. The stack of diapers in the corner that Katniss had gotten from her baby shower. Haymitch's gift to Maysilee-a bottle of pink wine that the Capitol had sent him as a gift for mentoring Katniss and Peeta and succeeding.

Peeta put his daughter back in the crib, whenever her lids slipped down.

He walked over to Katniss's room. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, rubbing over her stomach.

"Boo."

She looked up and smiled, "See Maysilee yet?"

"Yup." He popped the 'p'.

"Spending the day here?"

"No." he answered back and grinned.

She raised an eyebrow.

"You aren't either."

"Peeta…" she sighed as she pushed the golden band with the pearl in the middle. It had Maysilee's name encrusted in the gold. It was the pearl Peeta had given her. The gift had been from him. They'd been planning on her name, so he put it in.

"Katniss…" he mocked.

"I can't go anywhere. And neither can Maysilee, if that's what you're hinting on. It's spring. It's still cold out."

"It's warm outside. The news said that it would be a perfectly warm day today."

"I don't know…"

"Come on, Katniss. Take extra clothes for May with you. You're _both_ coming."

Katniss sighed. "I don't know, Peeta she's just a b-"

"Ah! That excuse doesn't work anymore. Whenever she was born it was January. I agreed about her not going anywhere besides the doctors. It's time for you to leave this house. It's stuffy in here. Fresh air will do you _both_ good."

She sighed and rolled her eyes, "_Fine_."

"Great!" he wrapped his arms around Katniss's shoulders. "I'll go get Maysie ready-you go get ready."

She nodded and walked to the bathroom. He heard the shower heat up. He ran for the phone on the counter and dialed a number.

"What?" Gale's rough voice asked.

"How did you know it was me?" he asked.

"I didn't. I assumed."

Peeta rolled his eyes and cleared his throat, "Where's Madge?"

"I don't know." Gale said. "She left me a note; _Went to the woods to scratch Peeta's back. Be back soon. Lots of love, Madge_." He paused, "Thought _you_ would know where my wife is."

"Oh…thanks. Bye." He hung up and threw the phone back onto the charger. He walked to the nursery and woke up the baby. She whined a little, but then her eyes just became teary. He changed her diaper. She let Peeta dress her in a pair of pink yoga pants and a white sweatshirt with pink flowers in the hood.

He put on a pair of pink and white striped socks and then checked her outing bag.

In there was a pack of wipes, a few diapers-he added a few more. Three binkies sat in there. He found the one that Katniss kept at home, the white one with the pink heart in the middle and put it in Maysilee's mouth. He strapped her into the white carrier and put a soft pink blanket on top of her.

He took her downstairs and sat at the kitchen table, watching his daughter. She was the most gorgeous thing he'd ever seen. She had pink cheeks and bright blue eyes. She had a slightly chubby face, like her mother, but she was absolutely, purely…Mellark. And soon her mother would be too. If Peeta had anything to do with it.

Katniss bounded down the stairs and smiled whenever she saw Maysilee. "Daddy dressed you nicely, didn't he?" she cooed. She was a wonderful mother. She was the best of the best. She cared so much for Maysilee.

"Yes he did." Peeta said. He smiled as he saw what she was wearing.

A dress…. She didn't do that often. And whenever she did it was a special occasion. She didn't even know what they were doing.

"You look amazing." He breathed.

She giggled, "Thanks."

She wore a mint green strapless dress that Peeta had no idea where it came from, with a pair of black flats. "Where'd you get the dress?"

"It was my mother's." she answered swiftly. She walked over to Maysilee and grinned when she saw her blue eyes. "I love her eyes."

Peeta grinned, "Wonder why…"

"Oh shut up. You're too full of yourself."

Suddenly, a sharp ring. He lunged for the phone. Madge had said she would call the house whenever she was ready for them. Whenever he picked it up, he heard deep breaths. "Hey, the pickle is in the jar."

He grinned. It was the code that they'd decided to use.

"Great. So it's dill?"

"Yep." She answered, as she gulped fresh air.

"Alright," he chuckled, "Bye."

He hung the phone up.

"What was that about?"

"Uh, pickles." Peeta answered.

She chuckled, "What would you need pickles for?"

He grabbed one of Katniss's cheeks and pinched it, "You of course."

She rolled her eyes. "Uh huh."

-.-

He blindfolded her and helped her walk down the road. He pushed the stroller with Maysilee in.

"Peeta, this doesn't seem safe. Maybe I should check on Maysile-"

"Maysilee is fine. She's right here."

Katniss sighed worriedly, "I don't know about this, Peeta."

"Seriously, both of you are fine."

He turned and walked straight for a while. They walked in silence, and Peeta kept looking over at Katniss to make sure she wasn't peeking. It was a surprise.

And then, they were at the edge of the woods.

The fence had been taken down a long time ago. No need. Nobody needed food anymore, so desperately, but people still hunted. But not today.

Peeta had let the entire town know not to go into the woods today. One, there was going to be an infant. And two, he was going to _propose_ to her. There was no way that she could say no.

And then bad thoughts ran through his mind. What if she _did _say no? What if she turned him down? He would die. Right then and there.

He couldn't imagine what would happen if she turned him down. He would be so humiliated. And it was a real possibility. Katniss had barely wanted the little girl that sat in the stroller. And there had to be a reason she'd kicked him out of the house after she had Maysilee. She'd told him numerous times that she loved him, but _obviously_ not enough to let him stay in the house with their two month old daughter.

He breathed and looked down at his hands. He realized he was shaking.

"Peeta?" she asked.

"Yeah?"

"What's wrong?"

He realized his breathing had become rigid. "N-nothing."

She sighed. "Are we there yet?"

"Almost, Katniss." He promised as he pushed the stroller further into the grass. He found the blanket that sat on the grass. Madge had done a wonderful job setting it up. The blanket was purple and enormous. There was a chair for Maysilee and the food was spread out. "Give me one second and then I'll take your blindfold off." He promised.

He picked Maysilee out of the stroller and sat her down on the chair.

He let the stroller sit and then he took Katniss's blindfold off. He walked her over to the picnic.

"Wow." She breathed. "It's beautiful."

He grinned, "Madge helped me put it together."

She sat down next to Maysilee and looked at the spread. Cheese buns, of course. She giggled as she picked one up and began tearing it up and eating it.

"What's up with all of this?" she asked after she burped Maysilee.

Peeta reached in his sweatshirt pocket and pulled out the blue velvet box. He stood and then got back down, this time on one knee. Katniss's eyes grew wide and she gulped. He opened the box and showed the ring. It was golden banded and in the middle was a blue diamond. In the middle encrusted in the gold was Maysilee's name again-but this time, before her squiggly name was written _Bread Boy + Fire Girl_. Maysilee's name followed directly after, after an equals sign.

"I don't have a huge speech prepared. So…will you please…just marry me?"

She cocked her head and looked at him, as if she was skeptical, she pursed her lips and finally, shakily, she spoke. "U-I-Yes."

He breathed a sigh of relief and looked over his shoulder.

"Madge!" he called. "The pickle is in the jar!"

_A/N: I wrote this today this morning, because it was Easter and my parents weren't awake. Yeahh, I know it may seem **OOC **, but I tried , and I feel that should count. Now, shall I update RFTA? Hmm…_

_**HAPPY EASTER, FOLKS!**_ – **Haley Michelle (: xo.**


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